A ROMAN CATHOLIC WEDDING

The four basic principles are:

• You are choosing to marry freely, without external pressure.

• You intend to remain together for the rest of your life.

• You intend to remain faithful to one another.

• Unless the Bride is past childbearing age, you intend to have at least one child.

In terms of where the marriage can take place, it is usual for it to happen in the local Church (or either local Church if both partners are practicing Catholics, although preference should be given to the Bride’s Church). That said, marriage in a Roman Catholic Church outside of the locality is possible, but special permission needs to be obtained from the Roman Catholic authorities if this is the route the couple wishes to head down. In all circumstances, the first port of call should be to the local priest who will advise of the possible and most appropriate course of action.

Arranging the Service

Once the couple know where they want the marriage to take place, and, if required, have obtained the permission from the Roman Catholic authorities to do so, they can then get down to the business of formalising the arrangements at a meeting with the relevant priest.

The route the arrangements will go down will depend on whether both the Bride and Groom, or just one of the partners, is a member of the Catholic faith. In all cases the priest must be contacted at least three months before the planned date for the Wedding, although closer to six months is preferable.

Here are all the things that need to happen in order to arrange a marriage in the Catholic Church. Please note that not all activities may be necessary, and where this is the case it is clearly marked.